Nestlé creates digital baby-nutrition platform for parents in Central and West Africa
Parents and mothers-to-be can source guidance and expert advice on good nutrition for their babies through Nestlé’s new Start Healthy Stay Healthy Facebook pages in Ghana and Nigeria.
The online social platforms, which are now live, are part of Nestlé Start Healthy Stay Healthy – a science-based education programme designed to help mothers and caregivers provide nutritionally and developmentally adequate nutrition in the first 1,000 days of a baby’s life.
Posts on what to eat during pregnancy, breastfeeding tips, as well as how and when to introduce weaning foods, are shared through messages, images and videos to help the first-time mothers in Ghana and Nigeria make the best decisions during the first 1,000 days of baby’s life.
“The unique window from conception to the child’s second birthday is an important opportunity to ensure optimal growth and development in the short term, and to impact the future health of a child over the long term,” said Philippe Hascoet, Country Business Manager for Nestlé Nutrition in Central and West Africa.
“The new Start Healthy Stay Healthy Facebook pages will help to engage and communicate this message to parents and first-time mothers across the region, as well as reaffirming our belief in the exclusive breastfeeding of infants in the first six months of life.”
The new digital launches are part of Nestlé’s efforts to provide education programmes for good nutrition and feeding practices to help parents and caregivers raise healthier children.
In Central and West Africa, the company is continuing to drive better nutrition and health for mothers and their children through the Nestlé Nutrition Institute Africa (NNIA), which is part of the Nestlé Nutrition Institute (NNI), the world’s largest independent and non-profit private publisher of nutritional information.
The NNIA aims to build the capacity of healthcare professionals across the continent by organising training programmes, scientific symposiums and workshops covering topics that are related to maternal and infant nutrition.
Internally, Nestlé also provides a supportive environment for parents and breastfeeding mothers in the workplace. The Nestlé CWAR Parental Policy establishes minimum standards to be implemented across its sites by the end of the year, including breastfeeding rooms, maternity leave up to six months, and flexible working arrangements.
